Distributing mechanism for bowling pin spotting machines



J. ZUERCHER 2,997,301

DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM FOR BOWLING PIN SPOTTING MACHINES Aug. 22, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet l 5 x 4. ATTO R N E Y 00 BY JOHN ZUERCHER Filed Oct. 30, 1959 J. ZUERCHER 2,997,301

DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM FOR BOWLING PIN SPOTTING MACHINES Aug. 22, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 30, 1959 FIG.6

JOHN ZUERCHER ATTORNEY J. ZUERCHER Aug. 22, 1961 DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM FOR BOWLING PIN SPOTTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 50, 1959 INVENTOR. JOHN ZUERCHER BY %,T"7K4 ATTORN EY Unite States Paten r Filed Oct. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 849,836 9 Claims. (Cl. 273-43) This invention relates to bowling pin spotting machines and more particularly to improvements in mechanism for delivering bowling pins from the pin elevating apparatus to the pin spotting device of a bowling pin spotting machine.

This invention also relates to improvements in bowling pin handling mechanisms of the type disclosed in US. Patents 2,769,637 and 2,874,823, issued to me on November 6, 1956, and February 24, 1959, respectively.

The invention is characterized by the provision of improved means and mechanism for controlling the movement of the pin distributor along the guide track on the pin spotting table. The distributor head, or that portion of the distributor which travels along the guide track is provided with a self contained stop mechanism for interrupting the travel of the distributor at each of the pin spotting receptacles of the pin spotting device. Upon delivery of a pin into an empty receptacle, the stop mechanism is released and the distributor permitted to travel to the next receptacle.

The present device eliminates incorporating any stop devices in the guide track itself and permits deceleration of the distributor head as it approaches an empty pin receptacle. By this novel arrangement, vibration and wear of the distributor mechanism is maintained at a minimum.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved pin distributor for bowling and spotting machines.

It is likewise an object of the present invention to provide a novel pin distributor mechanism having a self contained stop device for interrupting the travel of the distributor along the guide track on the pin spotting table of a bowling pin spotting machine.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses. In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views which make up the drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of an improved pin distributor mechanism for bowling pin spotting machines embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the delivery end of the pin distributor.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional plan view illustrating the distributor stop mechanism.

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation of the delivery end of the distributor device.

v FIGURE 5 is a side elevation taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a detailed view, partly in section illustrating the guide track and its associated mechanism.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional end elevation of the delivery end of the pin distributor.

FIGURE 8 is a plan view, similar to FIG. 3, illustrating another embodiment of the tooth arrangement on the track.

The improved distributor D shown in the accompanying drawings, consist of a pair of U-shaped pin guide chutes 10 and 12 slidably arranged in a telescopic fashion to provide a guide chute which is automatically extended 2,997,301 Patented Aug. 22, 1961 or retracted depending upon which of the triangularly arranged pockets or pin receptacles of the pin setter table (not shown) is receiving a pin from distributor D.

Chute 10 at its pin receiving end is provided with a flared and funnel-shaped pin receiving end or extension 14 rigidly joined thereto, as by welding, and with chute 12, forms one continuous chute or pin guideway. At its pin receiving end, chute 10 is secured to a pair of spaced brackets 16 attached beneath pan P to ends of a pair of spaced rods 17 of a suitable frame 18. Secured to the other ends of rods 17 of frame 18 is a bridge bracket 20, to the upper end of which is mounted the extreme forward end of chute 10.

Chute 12 is secured to and carried by spaced horizontal rod 21 of a suitable frame 22 which on one end is provided with a pair of spaced vertical lugs 24 to each of which is pivoted a roller 26. Each roller 26 rolls on the top edge of the respective rod 17 of frame 18 which is located exactly in line beneath frame 22 so that the latter at this end is supported by and slidingly engages with frame 18. To maintain frames 18 and 22 in vertical alignment and to prevent any side sway as the distributor is moved laterally and chute 12 is extended and retracted relative to chute 10, each vertical lug 24 of frame 22 carries a roller 28 which contacts the outer or lateral edge of each respective rod 17 of frame 18.

The extreme forward ends of the rods 21 of frame 22,

as viewed at thet right in FIGURE 1 are secured to a pair of spaced bearing lugs 30 (FIGURE 4) loosely mounted on a horizontal shaft 32. Each bearing lug 30 is pivotally supported on shaft 32 in hubs formed on each of two spaced uprights 36 of a U-shaped distributor head bracket 38. The lower central portion of bracket 38 is supported on ball bearing ring 39 carried in a central recess 41 of a barrel member 40. Member 40 is provided with a bevel plate 42 which rests on the upper rounded edge of the distributor track 44 mounted on the pin setter table (not shown).

Bracket 38 ad ball bearing ring 39 are connected by the nut and bolt assembly 46 and ring 39 is maintained in position in recess 41 by retaining nut 47 threaded into barrel member 40. Thus barrel member 40 and bracket 38 are free to rotate relative to each other about the nut and bolt assembly 46. Surrounding the outer periphery of barrel member 40 is another ball bearing ring 48 to which is attached a swivel member 50. Swivel member 50 by means of stud 52, pivotally carries an angularly positioned thrust and guide roller 54 which together with bevel plate 42 supports and guides the entire front of pin distributod D on track 44.

The other end of distributor D or more particularly pin receiving end 14 of the guide chute 10 is, as mentioned heretofore, supported by the pair of spaced brackets 16 pivotally held by a horizontal shaft 56 (FIGURE 1) rotata-bly supported by a pair of spaced upright arms 58 of U-shaped bracket 60 which at its lower end is provided with a vertical stud 62 rotatably supported in a suitable vertical bearing 64 of a bearing bracket 66 secured to the frame (not shown) of the pin setting machine.

Bridge bracket 20 to which the front end of guide chute 10 is attached is also provided with two pairs of rollers 68 and 70 (FIGURE 1). Rollers 70 roll upon the outer lateral edges of rods 21 of frame 22 and assist in retaining its vertical alignment with frame 18. Rollers 68 roll upon the upper edges of rods 21 of frame 22 and thus provide a roller support from which is suspended bracket 20 to which one end of frame 18 is attached.

Pin distributor D is also provided with an endless pin conveyor, such as belt 72, which is driven continuously by pulley 74. Conveyor belt 72 is led over the bottom of the substantially U-shaped channel formed by guide chutes and 12, and end extension 14 onto a pulley 76 mounted on horizontal shaft 32 supported in the bearing lugs 30 and distributor head bracket 38. Frompulley 76 conveyor belt 72 is led over tension roller 78 and a guide roller 80 mounted on shaft 82 supported by bridgebracket 20. Tension roller 78 is loosely mounted on a shaft 84 (FIGURE 1) supported in the free ends "of a .p'air of spaced links 86 pivotally connected at their other'ends by means of horizontal shaft'or rod 87 to a .pair of spaced arms 88 formed on and extending upwardly from a rod or shaft 90 supported at each end in suitable bearing lugs integral with vertical lugs 24. Attached to each vertical lug 24 is one end of a tension spring '92, the other end of which is secured to one end of floating shaft '84. This arrangement provides constant resilient tension to pin conveyor belt 72.

Pin-conveyor belt 72 conveys pins from a 'source of supply, such as a conveyor (not shown) which removes them from the pit of a bowling alley (not shown), to pin spotting receptacles R carried by a table (not shown) such as that illustrated and described in my aforementioned Patent Number 2,769,637. It also provides driving means for moving the front or delivery end of the pin distributor along the heart-shaped track 44, during which time distributor D is elongated or shortened in order to accommodate it to the several positions of spotting receptacles R. Since conveyor belt 72 is driven continuously, the latter through pulley 76, imparts continuous rotary motion to shaft 32 (FIGURE 4).

Adjustably clamped to one end of shaft 32 is a collar 96 to which is anchored one end of a torsion spring 98. The other end of spring 98 is attached to clutch "disc 100 which loosely engages with a spiral external thread of a hub or sleeve secured to shaft 32 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3 of my aforementioned Patent Number 2,769,637. Another clutch disc 104 is integral with the hub of a bevel gear 106 loosely mounted on shaft 32.

The rotary motion of the shaft 32 through collar 96 and torsion spring 98, is imparted to clutch discs 100 and 104 which rotate bevel gear 106. The tension of spring 98 is set to a desired amount suflicien-t to effect a firm engagement of clutch discs 100 and 104 with a conventional clutch lining disc 108 located between them (PEG URE 4). Bevel gear 106 meshes with bevel gear 110' mounted on the upper end of vertical shaft 112 rotatably supported in a suitable bearing lug 114 projecting from distributor head bracket 38.

A gear 116, secured to the lower end of shaft 112, meshes with a gear 118 keyed to the upper end of the barrel member 40. The lower end of barrel member 40 carries a rounded tooth gear 120, preferably formed integrally therewith, which engages with corresponding teeth 122 formed in the lateral outer edge of the heart-shaped track 44, in any suitable manner, as by milling. Track 44 is supported at three points by means of suitable brackets 124 mounted on the pin spotting table. Teeth 122 conform generally with the profile of a sprocket and coact with the teeth of gear 120 to give a smooth drive which is highly desirable ininsuring the most satisfactory results in the operation of distributor D.

Since distributor D delivers pins to each of ten triangularly arranged pin spotting receptacles on the spotting table,the frontend of distributor D following heartshaped track 44 must be moved to and stopped at each pin spotting receptacle in succession until each pin spotting receptacle contains a pin. In order to effect the desired successive interruptions in the movement of distributor D at each of the ten receptacles, there is provided a latch member 126 secured to and rotating with gear 118. Latch member 126 is provided with an extending lock element 128 which is operative to engage stop 130 formed on areuate bracket 132. One end of bracket 132 is pivotally connected to a standard 134 formed in 4 head bracket 38. The other end of bracket 132 is secured to the lower end of a link 136. Between stop 130 and link 136, bracket 132 is loosely mounted on one end of a stud shaft 138, the other end of which is rotatably supported in arm 140 formed in head bracket 38.

Link 136 is secured at its upper end to one of the side brackets 142 supporting a suitably shaped index bridge 144. -Side brackets 142 are, in turn, 'pivotally'mounted on studs 141, only one of which is shown, carried in hu bs 143 formed in eachside of head bracket 38. Atension spring 146, anchored at one end on pin 148 to link 136 and encircling, at its other end, a collar 150 secured on rod '152carried by head bracket 38, assists in normally maintaining index bridge 144 in its uppermost position.

Index bridge 144 is located adjacent the frontor discharge end of pin conveyor belt 72 and in front of pulley 7 6so that a pin forwarded by belt 72 to apin spotting recep'tacle must pass over index bridge 144. When index bridge 144 is in its uppermost position, shown in full lines in FIGURE 5, stop 130 on bracket 132 is in operative position to engage lock element 128 of latch 126. Since latch 126 is secured to and rotates with gear 118, when lock element 128 engages stop 130, the translatory movement'of the front end of distributor is arrested. However, when a pin is delivered by belt 72 over index bridge 144, the weight thereof causes momentary downward movement of bridge 144 to the position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 5, and through its associated linkages described hereinabove, raises stop 130 out of operative position, releasing latch 126.

In order to assure alignment of the delivery end of the distributor D with each of the pin receptacles, gears 120, 118 and 116 are so designed that gear 118 makes one complete revolution as gear 120 travels along'track 44 from one pin receptacle to the next successive pin receptacle. It has been found that by providing two hundred sixty-one teeth 122 in the outer periphery of track 44 and providing twenty-nine teeth in gear 120 the desired results can be accomplished. If desired, teeth 122 may be formed on the inner periphery of track 44 and gear 120, as shown in FIGURE 8, and its associated mechanism suitably adapted to travel the'realong. In such-an event track 44 is provided with three hundred nineteen teeth 122 and gear 120 with twenty-nine. Likewise it has been found that providing gears 106 and with twenty teeth, gear 116 with twenty-five teeth, and gear 1'18with seventy-four teeth produces the desired result. Further, it will be understood that latch member 126 is secured to gear 118 such that lock element 128 thereof engages stop 130 as the discharge end of distributor D is travelled 'into pin delivering relationship with an empty pin receptacle (not shown). Distributor D thus remains stationary adjacent this pin receptacle until a pin has actually been discharged therefrom into an empty receptacle.

Since pin conveyor 72 is driven continuously and since, as described heretofore, it is the driving means for the front end of distributor D along track 44, clutch plates 100 and 104 tend to drive gear at all times. However, when lock element 128 on latch 126 engages stop on bracket 132, gear 118, secured to latch 126, and all other gears 106, 110, 11-6 and 120 are stopped. Since clutch disc 104 which is attached to bevel gear 106 is likewise stopped, the function between arrested clutch disc 104 and the still rotating clutch disc 100, tends to somewhat retard rotation of disc 100 which is only spring connected to drive shaft 32. Due to the mounting of clutch disc 100 in the spiral thread or groove of its cooperating sleeve in the manner shown and described in my aforementioned Patent 2,769,637, any retarding of the motion of disc 100 results in a lateralbacking away motion which effects a slight separation of the two clutch discs and at the same time permits the clutch disc 100 to continue its rotation without damage to the associated mechanisms. As soon as stop 130 is moved out of engagement with lock 12 8 by a pin being delivered over index bridge '144, the gears are free to turn and clutch discs 100 and 104 re-engaged with proper tension and the movement of the front end of distributor D along track 44 is resumed until gear 118 completes its revolution and lock element 128 re-engages stop 136.

To absorb the impact transmitted to their associated mechanisms when lock element 128 is travelled into engagement with stop 130, there is provided a resilient block 154 positioned on shaft 138 between bracket 132 and arm 140. Block 154 may be formed of any suitable energy-absorbing material; such as, rubber, plastic or the like. If desired, block 154 could likewise be replaced by a suitable compression spring. Block 154 is operative upon lock 128 engaging stop 130, to provide a yieldable cushion for bracket 132, absorbing the energy of impact, eliminating vibration and preventing damage to the associated mechanisms.

Referring to FIGURE -6, it will be noted that teeth 122 have a portion thereof extending through the upper rounded edge of track 44 and the front end of distributor D is supported thereon by the outer periphery of bevel plate 42. By providing teeth 122 having portions thereof extending through the upper edge of track 44 rather than wholly formed in the side periphery thereof, the problem of milling teeth 122 in track 44 is facilitated. Further, such an arrangement permits wider latitude in interchanging tracks and distributors. In addition, by supporting distributor D on bevel plate 42 rather than teeth 122, as heretofore, a smoother, more erficient and more trouble-free operation is obtained.

What I claim is:

1. A bowling pin distributor for transferring pins from a pin delivery station to a plurality of pin receiving stations comprising a distributor receiving element located adjacent and in pin receiving relationship with said pin delivery station, a distributor delivery element remote from said distributor receiving element for delivering a pin to each of said pin receiving stations, extensible transfer means connecting said distributor receiving element and said distributor delivery element and constructed and arranged to deliver a pin received by said distributor receiving element to said distributor delivery element, a heart-shaped track, means mounting said track with a portion thereof adjacent each of said pin receiving stations, means mounting said distributor delivery element for movement along said track and to and from each of said pin receiving stations, a stop, means movably mounting said stop on said distributor delivery element, a latch, means mounting said latch on said distributor delivery element mounting means and for movement relative to said delivery element, said latch being mounted in position to successively engage said stop, interrupting the travel of said delivery element along said track adjacent each pin delivery station and release means operatively associated with said stop and constructed and arranged to move said stop out of engagement with said latch upon the delivery of a pin at one of said pin delivery stations, permitting said delivery element to resume its travel along said track to the next pin delivery station.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said latch is mounted for rotation relative to said delivery element and wherein said latch is operative to make one complete revolution between successive engagements with said stop as said distributor delivery element is travelled from one pin delivery station to the next.

3. A bowling pin distributor for transferring pins from a pin delivery station to a plurality of triangularly-arranged pin receiving stations comprising a distributor receiving element located adjacent and in pin receiving relationship with said pin delivery station, a distributor .6 delivery element remote from said receiving element for delivering a pin to each of said pin receiving stations, extensible conveyor means connecting said receiving element and said delivery element of said distributor and operative to transfer a pin received by said receiving element to said delivery element, a closed track having a plurality of gear teeth, means mounting said track with a portion thereof adjacent each of said delivery stations, means mounting said delivery element in en gagement with said teeth of said track for movement along said track and to and from each of said pin receiving stations, a stop, means pivotally mounting said stop on said distributor delivery element, a latch, means coupling said latch to said delivery element mounting means and for rotation relative to said delivery element, said latch being mounted in position to successively engage said stop upon each complete revolution thereof, interrupting the travel of said delivery element along said track adjacent each pin delivery station and release means connected to said stop mounting means and operative to pivot said stop out of engagement with said latch upon the delivery of a pin at one of said pin delivery stations, permitting said delivery element to resume its travel along said track to the next pin delivery station.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 including a resilient member, and means mounting said resilient member on said delivery element adjacent said stop mounting means, said resilient member being operative to provide a yieldable, impact-absorbing cushion for the successive engagements between said stop and said latch.

5. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said track is of generally heart-shaped configuration with said plurality of teeth formed therein along the entire extent thereof, said teeth being formed in the periphery of said track with a portion thereof extending through the top edge of said track and wherein said delivery element moving means includes a gear provided with teeth on said track, the particular configuration of said teeth on said track being operative to assist in effecting free interchange of tracks and distributors.

6. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said delivery element mounting means includes a bracket, a substantially horizontal shaft supported in said bracket, a pulley mounted on said shaft and supporting and being driven by one end of said conveyor means, a vertical barrel member rotatably supported by said bracket, a gear attached to the top of said barrel member, a gear train connecting said gear to said shaft, a driven element attached to one of the gears of said train, a driving gear attached to the lower end of said barrel member, teeth formed in said track and engaged by the teeth of said driving gear for movement of the distributor delivery element therealong.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said latch is connected to and rotates with said gear atop said barrel member, said gear rotating said latch one complete revolution as said delivery element is travelled from one pin delivery station to the next successive station.

8. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said teeth are formed in the outer edge of said track.

9. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said teeth are formed in the inner edge of said track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,122,622. McFarland Dec. 29, 1914 1,590,124 Roble June 22, 1926 ,015,428 Hedenskoog Sept. 24, 1935 2,769,637 Zuercher Nov. 6, 1956 

